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Wakiso Giants coach Douglas Bamweyana has admitted he was left gutted after the team secured a 1-1 draw against Vipers SC in a Ugandan Premier League (UPL) match played on Saturday.

Viane Ssekajugo, playing his first game since February scored for the Purple Sharks in the second half to cancel out an early opener from Muhammad Shaban.

But despite picking a draw against the UPL champions, Bamweyana was left disappointed with the result but happy with the boys’ performance.

“I am happy with the performance but very disappointed with the results,” Bamweyana said as quoted by the club’s official website. “We were the better team on the day in my opinion and deserved more than a point.”

Bamweyana was also not impressed with refereeing decisions during the match saying the Sharks were unfortunate with some calls in the afternoon.

“I thought we weren’t playing exactly as we should have on such a level of playing field in my opinion, we were probably like a foreign team in some aspects and it’s very unfortunate but we worked hard and deserved to win,” Bamweyana continued.

“We had two good penalty calls but it wasn’t meant to be, luck wasn’t on our side from the officials. That said, we created enough chances to win it but never took them away.”

On the team’s performance from the three matches played, the coach said: “We are disappointed with the returns so far when you look at our games. When you compare them with our output, we certainly deserve better.”

During the match, Shaban nodded Disan Galiwango’s corner into the roof of the net to put the visitors into the lead but that awakened the Sharks who started with Yasin Mugume, Ssekajugo, and debutant Pius Kaggwa in attack.

Twenty minutes into the second half, Bamweyana made a double change introducing Rahmat Ssenfuka for Ibrahim Kasule and Mugume for Karim Ndugwa. And five minutes later, Ssekajugo got at the end of a pass from Lawrence Bukenya, raced on goal, and shot into the roof of the net for the equaliser.

Kaggwa had what appeared like a genuine penalty appeal turned down in the first half when he tumbled in the area under a challenge from Azizi Kayondo.

The Purple Sharks will next take on Onduparaka FC in Arua on Tuesday as the search for their first win of the season continues.

David de Gea is daring Manchester United to “dream” of Premier League title glory, with anything possible in a “strange season”.

The Red Devils have seen an impressive run of form away from home keep them within touching distance of the early frontrunners in 2020-21.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side sit five points off the pace at present, with a game in hand and having just held arch-rivals Manchester City to a goalless draw at Old Trafford.

United offered little in that contest as an attacking threat, but have shown that they can contain domestic foes that boast similar ambition.

De Gea is looking to take positives from that heading into the hectic festive period, with the Spanish goalkeeper of the opinion that an English top-flight crown is very much up for grabs.

He told MUTV after a stalemate with City: “I think, defensively, we were perfect.

“They didn't create too many chances, maybe two or three big chances, but I think, against them, it was defensively a great game.

“So we need to be happy, of course, for the clean sheet but maybe it's not enough, you know. We played at home, we always want to win, especially against Man City, so I think we missed a big chance to beat them.

“But against players like [Kevin] De Bruyne, [Raheem] Sterling, good players, you have to be focused for the 90 minutes. So we did it, I think we showed our confidence in defence. I think the players played really good.

“For me, the most important thing in the team is the defensive part so we showed again that we can defend good.

“We can be very strong in the back four and I think, the whole team, we pressed really high.”

De Gea added: “So we made them make mistakes in the build-up. So I think it was a good game for us, a tight game, so the draw was fine. We looked very well, we looked strong.

“Now I think, this year, the Premier League is very open, many teams are fighting for the title. We have to dream, we have to believe that we can win the Premier League this year and go for it.

“It's a very strange season. To be honest, there are many teams fighting for the top place, so I think we need to be very focused every game and try to win the Premier League.”

The Red Devils will be back in action on Thursday when they take in a trip to rock-bottom Sheffield United.

Elvis Rupia entered into AFC Leopards' Hall of Fame when he scored a hat-trick against Sofapaka on Saturday to ensure they kept an unblemished run in the Football Kenya Federation Premier League.

Rupia became Ingwe’s 27th player to record a hat-trick which propelled his tally to six goals in three games. The hat-trick against Batoto ba Mungu was the 43rd the club has recorded since its formation in 1964.

Stephen Baraza was the first man to register a hat-trick for AFC Leopards in 1964 when they were playing against Black Stars and the game ended in a 4-4 draw.

The club legend Joe Kadenge is among the few players to have earned multiple hat-tricks for AFC Leopards. Kadenge, a hero even for the national side, got his first against Nakuru All-Stars in 1966 before the second hat-trick against Ramogi in 1967.

The third for the legendary forward came against their then archrivals Maragoli FC, where he launched his career, and a third in 1967 was against Luo Sports.

Another legend Livingstone Madgwa, who played alongside Kadenge in the club’s formative years, earned four hat-tricks in 1967 twice against Home Bay and once vs Nairobi Wanderers. The fourth hat-trick came against Kitale FC where they won the game with a 9-1 scoreline.

Noah Wanyama, the father to Victor Wanyama and McDonald Mariga, is another AFC Leopards hero to have earned two hat-tricks. Wanyama’s first was against Nakuru in Kisumu in 1968 helping Ingwe emerge as 5-3 winners.

Wanyama had to wait for nine years before bagging another as he got goals from Kisumu Black Stars in a 4-0 win in 1977.

Joe Masiga, famously known as J.J Masiga, recorded three hat-tricks for the league heavyweights too. The first came in 1977 against Black Mamba at City Stadium; a ground where much of AFC Leopards’ history has been written.

The second one came in 1985 when Ingwe were a force to reckon with both within the country and in the regional front, against Nakuru Police while the third one was recorded in 1987 against KTM in Thika.

Francis Kadenge, the scion of the senior Kadenge, is also another man considered an AFC Leopards’ great given his heroics including three hat-tricks.

Kadenge Jr scored his first against Feisal at Thika Municipal Stadium, now Thika County Stadium, in 1987.

His second was achieved against Busia Simba at Afraha Stadium before he capped a memorable 1987 with another against Hakati Sportif at Woodley.

William Inganga also earned himself a place in the Hall of Fame given his achievement against Scarlet FC and Waterworks in 1993 at Afraha Stadium and Nyayo Stadium respectively.

Deomande Selenga, John Makwatta and Rupia are the players who scored hat-tricks against clubs currently in the top-tier; KCB, Zoo FC and Sofapaka respectively. 

Thomas Tuchel is awaiting the results of a scan on Monday after Neymar was carried off on a stretcher at the end of Paris Saint-Germain's loss to Lyon.

Neymar appeared to suffer a serious injury , amid reports of a broken ankle, following a challenge from Thiago Mendes late in Sunday's surprise 1-0 Ligue 1 defeat at home to Lyon .

PSG star Neymar was in tears as he left the field on a stretcher in stoppage time, with Mendes sent off after a VAR review in the French capital.

Asked about Neymar post-game, PSG head coach Tuchel told Telefoot: "No news, he's with the doctors and we have to wait for the exams tomorrow."

Neymar's injury compounded PSG's woes as the French champions slumped to their fourth Ligue 1 defeat of the season and a first home loss to rivals Lyon in the league since 2007 – the visitors snapping a 12-match winless streak.

Tino Kadewere scored the only goal at Parc des Princes, putting Lyon ahead after Karl Toko Ekambi pounced on Presnel Kimpembe's error.

PSG have now lost four of their first 14 Ligue 1 games this season, their worst tally of defeats at this stage since 2009-10, when the club finished 13th.

The result left PSG third in the standings, a point behind leaders Lille and Lyon through 14 games as pressure mounts on Tuchel.

"It's very clear we weren't ready to play a competitive match. We made easy mistakes in dangerous situations," said Tuchel, whose side mustered just seven attempts.

"We didn't play in a disciplined way, we didn't follow the plan. We saw a very mentally tired team after Manchester United, Montpellier and [Istanbul] Basaksehir. It's not a good game in general, I saw a game with a very low level."

Tuchel added: "It doesn't change anything, you can never control the result but this performance is not enough. It's our fault. If we give gifts like that, it means that it's not serious enough because we have the qualities to win every match.

"We're going to push again. We made some steps forward, but today is a big step back."

Lionel Messi will leave Barcelona if he does not accept a pay cut, according to presential candidate Emili Rousaud.

Messi's future remains an important topic at embattled La Liga giants Barca after the superstar captain handed in a transfer request following a tumultuous 2019-20 campaign.

The six-time Ballon d'Or winner was tipped to join Premier League powerhouse Manchester City before opting to remain in Spain, though he has since been linked to Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain and Inter.

Rousaud, who is in the running for the presidential election which takes place on January 24 following Josep Maria Bartomeu's resignation in October, discussed Messi's future amid the coronavirus pandemic

"We'll have to sit down with Messi and ask him to make a salary cut," Rousaud told ARA.

"Right now, with things as they are, it's unsustainable.

"We'll ask him to make the sacrifice. If there's no agreement, then Messi will leave."

Rousaud added: "Messi has written the most brilliant pages in the club's history. We have to honour our legends, but the reality is what it is.

"I believe that things have to be said as they are. We can't fool our members. We'll make every effort to ensure he stays, but always with the interests of the club first."

Messi scored as Ronald Koeman's Barcelona returned to winning ways with a 1-0 victory over Levante in La Liga on Sunday.

After losses to Juventus in the Champions League and Cadiz in La Liga, Barca bounced back courtesy of Messi's 76th-minute winner to move within nine points of competition leaders Real Sociedad but with two games in hand.

Barca will a chance to close the gap on Real Sociedad when the two teams meet in the league at Camp Nou on Wednesday evening.

Messi has been involved in 37 goals in his La Liga career against Levante (22 goals and 15 assists), more than against any other team in the competition.

The 33-year-old has scored 449 goals in La Liga and he is just one shy of becoming the first player to reach 450 with just one club in the top five European leagues.

After getting off to a winning start in the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL), Chennaiyin have since struggled to pick up points. 

They are now without a win in four matches and the team hasn't clicked in the final third. In their last four games, Csaba Laszlo's team has only scored one goal despite creating chances. 

Sunday's game against NorthEast United was a good fixture to turn things around, especially because NorthEast had let in first-half goals in three of their previous five fixtures. But things didn't go according to plan. 

The game had six shots on target overall and four were from Chennaiyin. While that usually indicates that the contest was somewhat entertaining, don't let the numbers fool you. It was a boring and scrappy affair that neither team wanted to lose. 

The ball was largely stuck in the midfield where Khassa Camara and Lalengmawia played around with their feet and Deepak Tangri and Germanpreet Singh ran around the pitch trying to stop them from spraying those passes around. The end result wasn't a sight to behold. 

While NorthEast continued to be solid and organized at the back, Chennaiyin did create chances to score. However, the Machans were incredibly wasteful in front of goal, which meant the game continued to be goalless till the full-time whistle was blown. 

Lallianzuala Chhangte, famous for his speed and quick feet from the flanks and infamous for his poor finishing, exhibited both sides of his game. He had arguably the best chance of the game in the second half when Gurmeet Singh parried Jakub Sylvester's effort straight into his path inside the box. Facing an empty net, the former Delhi Dynamos winger sent the ball into the stands, proving the point about a lack of composure once he gets into dangerous areas. 

Chennaiyin missed the presence of Rafa Crivellaro, who was rested for the game, and Anirudh Thapa, who wasn't fit to start and ended up playing the last 15 minutes. Those two players would have ensured a quicker start for Chennaiyin and a better foundation in the final third. Even though the team didn't struggle to create chances, there was a distinct lack of quality in the final third that needs to be addressed. 

There were neither vociferous reactions nor thunderous applause from the stands but Bengaluru FC showed Kerala Blasters FC how to win the big games once again on Sunday. 

The 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) fixture between the two teams whose fan clubs have been at war on social media in the last few years delivered its promise to be an entertaining affair. 

Going into the game, the Blues had just one win to their name but were unbeaten after four rounds. Blasters, on the other hand, were winless. At the end of the day, however, the game turned out to be a lesson handed to Blasters by the winning team on how to take chances when they present themselves. 

Kibu Vicuna's attack had been struggling and the former Mohun Bagan head coach responded to Gary Hooper's sub-par displays by giving him additional support upfront. Jordan Murray partnered the former Celtic striker in an unconventional and certainly unusual 4-4-2 for the team. Rahul KP and Facundo Pereyra flanked the two strikers and in the absence of the injured Sergio Cidoncha and unfit Sahal Abdul Samad. Vicente Gomez and Jeakson Singh guarded the midfield. 

The first few minutes were okay and Blasters were doing a good job of keeping the game alive. In the 17th minute, the Blues committed too many players forward for a corner and were hammered on a lightning-quick counter-attack. It was initiated by Hooper who dribbled almost the length of the pitch from his own box before releasing Rahul into the box. The Malayali winger finished the move in style and gave Blasters the lead. 

Everything looked rosy for a little over 10 minutes before disaster struck. Costa Nhamoinesu's red card suspension meant Vicuna had to make a decision as to who would partner Bakary Kone at centre-back. He had Abdul Hakku, who is a natural centre-back but he chose Lalruatthara, who has shone as a full-back but knows the centre-back role too. The move backfired. 

Ruatthara, in just his 14th start since the glittering 2017-18 season in which he won the ISL Emerging Player of the Year award, made a mess of a straightforward clearance and allowed Cleiton Silva to snatch the ball and hit the net. 

The Blues kept pushing forward after the restart and took their chances efficiently. There was no one to track Ashique Kuruniyan as he received the ball on the left and drilled a low cross into the centre of the box which was guided into the net by Kristian Opseth. Minutes later, Albino Gomes' poor backpass was received by Ruatthara who was dispossessed by Cleiton Silva again. Silva squared it to Opseth and he left it for Dimas Delgado who caressed the ball into the net with a good finish. 

Blasters pulled one back when Vicente Gomez's flick found its way past Gurpreet after Murray interfered with the play as the ball travelled across the goal. The goal wasn't disallowed although the striker was offside - even that couldn't inspire a Blasters comeback. 

Sunil Chhetri had attempted a panenka penalty and failed in the second half after Kone fouled Opseth inside the box. However, he made amends by easily getting the better of right-back Prasanth inside the box as he headed in a cross from Khabra.

The story was over before the full-time whistle was blown.  It was anticlimactic in a way after the build-up ahead of the fixture. In the end, Bengaluru made it five wins in seven games against Blasters and reiterated who's the boss in the south. 

Lionel Messi stepped up to salvage something from the wreckage of Barcelona's nightmare week as he fired a 76th-minute winner in a 1-0 win over Levante.

Juventus comprehensively beat Barca 3-0 in midweek to deny them top spot in their Champions League group - a reverse that came on the back of a 2-1 LaLiga loss at Cadiz.

Despite ceding possession as expected for long periods, Levante looked set to hold out for a result to pile further pressure on embattled head coach Ronald Koeman.

Plenty of questions over the Dutchman's stewardship of Barcelona will remain, but Messi surging onto Frenkie De Jong's perfectly weighted throughball for an assured finish will buy him a little breathing space.

Koeman opted for experience at a time of adversity, recalling Sergio Busquets and Philippe Coutinho to his starting line-up, and the latter blazed over from Sergino Dest's first-minute cross.

Barca's vulnerabilities were on show soon enough, as Marc-Andre ter Stegen saved with his feet to thwart former Real Madrid youngster Jorge de Frutos.

Ter Stegen's opposite number Aitor Fernandez denied maligned forward duo Martin Braithwaite and Griezmann, although Roger Marti again unpicked the hosts as Dani Gomez thrashed over.

Clement Lenglet should have scored when Fernandez parried Griezmann's header from Messi's 21st-minute free-kick, with the Levante goalkeeper's finest work of the first half coming five minutes before the interval.

He reacted sharply when Griezmann volleyed through a crowd of players on the end of Messi's chipped cross.

Mickael Malsa got back to make a vital sliding challenge as Messi's old link-up with Jordi Alba almost bore fruit and Levante were increasingly pegged into their own box during the early stages of the second half.

There were few clear chances to show for that dominance, with Fernandez frustrating Messi twice more at close quarters.

Only when De Jong carved out space for Messi to run in behind a tiring Levante backline was the duel decisively settled.

What does it mean? One down, three to go

Koeman labelled Barcelona's three consecutive home games this week as must-win encounters. A more emphatic statement here would have been helpful, but another three points at the expense of surprise leaders Real Sociedad would make things look a lot rosier in the title race.

Barcelona go eighth, nine points shy of Imanol Alguacil's pacesetters and Atletico Madrid, who lost to Real Madrid in El Derbi on Saturday. Atleti and Barca have each played two games fewer than La Real.

De Jong eases the creative load on Messi

Whenever Barcelona toil - fairly frequently of late - the sight of Messi dropping deeper and deeper to take possession and try to create something is a frequent one. De Jong's performance here, which was somewhere close to his regal Ajax best, might persuade Messi to stay a little closer to the danger zone. The Netherlands star's five key passes were more than anyone else on the field made.

Braithwaite fails to make an impression

Being an underwhelming and unusual signing put Braithwaite in an unenviable position from the get-go in his Barca career. He is the sort of player who will always be very easy to drop. Shunted out to the left of the attack on Sunday, he managed two shots and 49 touches. Set against 77 touches and four shots from Griezmann and Messi's 101 and 12, he was a passenger.

Key Opta facts

- Barcelona have played 15 games against Levante at home, winning all of them (49 goals scored and only nine conceded) - they only have a better 100 per cent home record in the competition against Granada (24/24).
- Barcelona have kept a clean sheet in back-to-back LaLiga home games for the first time under Ronald Koeman.
- Aitor Fernandez made 12 saves against Barcelona, the highest tally in a single LaLiga game this season.
- Lionel Messi has scored 449 goals in LaLiga. His next will see him become the first player to reach the 450 goals landmark with just one club in Europe's top five leagues.
- Messi has been involved in 37 goals in his LaLiga career against Levante (22 goals, 15 assists), a joint personal record (also 37 against Sevilla, 29 goals and 8 assists).

What's next

Valencia visit Camp Nou next Saturday after Barcelona's midweek appointment with Real Sociedad, who are also the next LaLiga opponents for third-bottom Levante. First, Paco Lopez's men must tackle Racing Murcia in the Copa del Rey.

Neymar suffered what appeared to be a serious ankle injury as Paris Saint-Germain slumped to a 1-0 defeat to Lyon in Ligue 1.

PSG, who started with Kylian Mbappe on the bench, are firmly in a title tussle this term, and Thomas Tuchel's side suffered their fourth league defeat of the campaign – and a first home loss to Lyon in Ligue 1 since 2007 – at a wet Parc des Princes.

Tino Kadewere got the only goal, putting Lyon ahead after Karl Toko Ekambi pounced on Presnel Kimpembe's error.

A lacklustre display was compounded in the final minute of stoppage time, Neymar going off in clear pain on a stretcher after injuring his left ankle due to a challenge from Thiago Mendes, who was sent off after a VAR review.

A confident Lyon started on the front foot, though PSG went closest in the opening stages when Alessandro Florenzi volleyed wide from a tight angle.

Abdou Diallo sparred Danilo Pereira's blushes soon after – the PSG defender clearing a dangerous right-wing cross following a mistake from his team-mate.

Yet Lyon's pressure told in the 35th minute as Kimpembe passed the ball straight to Ekambi, who threaded it through for Kadawere to slot home.

Florenzi unleashed another first-time strike just before the break, but Anthony Lopes made a superb stop.

Tuchel turned to Mbappe shortly after the hour, though Lucas Paqueta would have put Lyon two ahead if not for Keylor Navas' fine save.

A frustrated Neymar was perhaps fortunate to escape with a booking for a petulant shove on Marcelo, before Bruno Guimaraes and Mbappe both had chances to score.

Matters went from bad to worse for PSG in the closing stages, however, with Mendes' awkward challenge on Neymar resulting in the Brazil star, who was reduced to tears, having to be carried off.

As Tuchel's side slipped to third, the concern was that the former Barcelona frontman could be facing a long spell out of action.

What does it mean? Lyon flying but PSG fall flat

Lyon, who are level on points with leaders Lille, are now unbeaten in their last 11 games in Ligue 1, and have won their last five games in a row.

PSG, meanwhile, have gone without a win in successive home league games for the first time under coach Tuchel, having last done so in 2018 during Unai Emery's tenure, and the prospect of losing Neymar is the last thing they needed.

Free-scoring forwards lift Lyon

Kadewere's goal was his fifth of the season in Ligue 1, meaning Lyon have three different players on five or more top-flight goals this season (Toko Ekambi, Memphis Depay and Kadewere).

It is more than any other side across Europe's big five leagues, with only PSG (33) and Lille (26) having netted more than Lyon in Ligue 1.

Nightmare for Neymar

PSG's number 10 scored a stunning hat-trick against Istanbul Basaksehir in midweek, but he was kept under wraps by far tougher opponents this time round.

Neymar crafted just one chance and failed to register a single attempt, and he could now face a long spell out if the ankle injury is as severe as his reaction suggested.

What's next?

PSG host Lorient on Wednesday, at the same time as Lyon take on Brest.

Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar was taken off the field in visible pain on Sunday after falling victim to a heavy tackle from Lyon's Thiago Mendes. 

The reigning Ligue 1 champions were far from their best at the weekend as they sought to retake their place at the top of the pile following Lille's victory over Bordeaux earlier on Sunday.

Instead they fell at home to Lyon, who scored the only goal of a 1-0 win through Tinotenda Kadewere midway through the first half to inflict a fourth league defeat of the season on the holders. 

That victory allowed the visitors to leapfrog their rivals in the standings, joining Lille at the top one point clear of Thomas Tuchel's men.   

But the real cost of Sunday's clash may only become apparent later on as PSG risk losing a key player. 

Neymar was scythed down by Brazilian compatriot Mendes deep into injury time as he attempted to engineer another chance to equalise for the hosts at Parc des Princes. 

The midfielder crashed into Neymar's ankle, sending him flying to the floor in obvious pain. 

Neymar was treated by medics on the Parc des Princes turf but it quickly became apparent that he would play no further part in the game, with his ankle appearing to be most affected by Mendes' reckless challenge. 

He was stretchered off the pitch in tears, although PSG were unable to replace him having already made all five allotted substitutes prior to the incident. 

Both teams, therefore, finished with 10 men, as Mendes was sent off by referee Benoit Bastien, although the official blew for full time almost immediately afterwards to confirm Lyon's narrow victory.

PSG and Neymar will now face a nervous wait to find out whether the player's ankle sustained serious damage in the challenge, which could cause him to miss a significant period of the 2020-21 season. 

The French champions still face three further Ligue 1 games in 2020 before the season enters its winter break, with Wednesday's clash against Lorient at Parc des Princes followed by subsequent matches away to title rivals Lille and at home to Strasbourg prior to the festive period.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants his team to kick on over the next few weeks and make a push towards the top of the Premier League table over the busy Christmas period. 

The point against Manchester City means United find themselves five points behind league leaders Tottenham having played a game less despite a relatively poor start to the season.

The festive period throws up lots of fixtures with United travelling to Sheffield United on Thursday before hosting Leeds at Old Trafford next weekend and then they have clashes against Leicester and Wolves before the new year and Solskjaer is expecting changes at the top.

“I think Christmas time with the amount of games in a short space of time and then not even the amount of games, there will be changes in positions,” the Man Utd manager said when asked about the title race.

“We have a game less but it’s a big moment in the season, this time around Christmas, then get to the new year, then you have a break with the FA Cup, maybe then we will have a clearer view of how it will look for us now that we have recovered from the setback of the Leipzig game.

"Of course we wanted three points against City but we couldn’t - but now we are looking for the Sheffield United and Leeds United games.”

If United are to push closer to that top spot they’re going to have to find their scoring form at home. They’ve managed just three league goals at Old Trafford this season and two of them have come from the penalty spot. But the lack of goalmouth action is not worrying Solskjaer.

“If you compare our goal tally from last season to now we are ahead way with the amount of games that we have played and the amount of goals we have scored whether that is home or away it doesn't really matter,” Solskjaer explained.

“I think teams, and bigger teams set the stall out to defend against us and be happy with a draw. That is of course a challenge for us but I think we have proven in many games that we do create chances.

"I think we have scored and created a lot of chances at certain moments and it’s more varied in the way we score.”

Frank Lampard has urged patience with Kai Havertz after suggesting the playmaker may need a whole season to adapt to the Premier League after he was hauled off in Chelsea's 1-0 defeat at Everton.

The 21-year-old joined Chelsea in a £70 million ($93m) deal, including add-ons, from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer but put in an underwhelming display at Goodison Park before he was substituted for Tammy Abraham in the 68th minute.

Part of the Germany international's struggles have come after he suffered from symptoms of coronavirus that left him unwell and unable to train for a fortnight.

Having recovered three weeks ago, Lampard used Havertz on the right wing on Merseyside, with Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic and Callum Hudson-Odoi all suffering from hamstring injuries.

Lampard believes Havertz can play anywhere across the forward line but he needs more time to reach his best level.

"In the modern day there will be a criticism of every player at every club who loses a game or something didn't go right, a pass went astray," Lampard told reporters. "We certainly should be patient with Kai Havertz from a Chelsea end.

"He's a top quality talent, has come into this league and is playing on the right-wing. He can play in any position across the front and the right-wing countless times before he signed for Chelsea. He can play in midfield also.

"That's not an issue. He can do that. But we do have to be patient. Not just him, but any young player with the speed of the Premier League. I've got no problems with Kai.

"I said that last week and if people want to criticise him, jump straight down - just wait and give a young player time, whether it be a week, a month, six months or a year. I know the player he's going to be."

Chelsea's defeat to the Toffees saw them end a run of 17 games unbeaten in all competitions. They also dropped down to fifth in the table following Sunday wins for Southampton and Leicester.

Lampard admits that it is a new challenge for his predominantly young group of players to overcome disappointment after an impressive run comes to an end.

"We're a new group," he added. "We lost one game already to Liverpool and, in that game, we had 10 men and missed a penalty. On another day that could have gone a different way for us and it was a circumstance kind of the game.

"This will be a challenge for the players and it's a game of football. In the Premier League you're going to lose games so it is very important we put perspective on it, considering the run we've been on. The game was the game.

"The first 20 minutes it was clear it was going to be physical and second balls. The edge was in the game and we weren't quite on edge ourselves. We didn't find enough answers. But I'm not going to say I've learnt anything from one game because it's been a good run we've been on.

"Our creative play wasn't as good as it's been but some of that will have been how well they defended and organised against us. That happens in football and when that happens, you need to keep a clean sheet and the two or three times you hit the woodwork the ball goes in the net. It didn't today."

Chelsea next face Wolves at Molineux on Tuesday before they welcome West Ham to Stamford Bridge in a busy December schedule.

Patrice Evra has claimed Arsenal legend Thierry Henry once turned off a Gunners game in disgust because Granit Xhaka had been given the captain's armband. 

Switzerland midfielder Xhaka once again made the headlines for the wrong reasons on Sunday when he was sent off midway through their clash for violent conduct against Burnley in the Premier League. 

In his absence the Gunners fell to a 1-0 defeat, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scoring in the wrong net to seal his side's fate. 

The loss is Arsenal's fourth consecutive reverse at the Emirates Stadium in the league, their worst run for more than 60 years, placing further pressure on manager Mikel Arteta to turn round the team's fortunes.

And Evra pointed the finger squarely at Xhaka, whom he accused of letting down his team-mates due to his indiscipline. 

"I will tell you a quick story," Evra said to Sky Sports. "Thierry Henry one day invited me to his house to watch an Arsenal game.

"He turned on the TV, the first image we saw on the screen was Xhaka leading the Arsenal team, being the captain. Thierry Henry turned off the TV.

"I said, ‘What happened?’. He said, 'I cannot watch my team and Xhaka being the captain of my team' and he turned off the screen. And we did not watch the game.

"It tells you everything about what a legend of this club thinks about him. And again he let down his team. It is not the first time.

"I remember two years ago I made a comment about Arsenal saying they look like babies. He came out and said ‘Patrice Evra, it is not the first time he has spoken about us’. Then I remember the next game he got substituted and he took off his shirt.

"I think Arsenal fans have had enough of Xhaka."

Sunday's defeat means Arsenal have slipped down to 15th place in the Premier League, managing just four wins and seven goals in their 12 games to date. 

Their next clash comes on Wednesday at home to Southampton, before visiting Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has criticised former captain Granit Xhaka for getting sent off as the Gunners crashed to a 1-0 defeat against Burnley at the Emirates on Sunday.

The home side had all the possession and chances until Xhaka was shown a red for grabbing the neck of Ashley Westwood in the second half, with the one-man advantage allowing the Clarets to gain impetus in the contest.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored at the wrong end shortly after to secure victory for Burnley, with the club captain now not having scored from open play for his own since the opening day of the Premier League season in September.

Arteta felt Arsenal's endeavour was at an impressive level but he lamented the red card and the team's profligacy in front of goal.

"You saw the performance of the boys, how much they wanted it, the chances we created and then we threw the game away with the red card," Arteta said to Sky Sports.

"We had total control for 60-70 minutes and should have won it earlier."

He added to Match of the Day: "[It was] complete dominance from the start to the moment that Granit Xhaka was sent off.

"[We] created all the chances, pressing, the attitude of the players was amazing the way we played in moments it was really good.They are really willing and probably too willing in key moments we over stepped the line and got a man sent off.

"By too willing I mean that they are incredibly committed to what they are trying to do, they are trying their best. The energy that they play with and we took it into the wrong place because in that moment they were left exposed."

Arsenal's defeat saw the club lose four matches at home in the league for the first time since 1960 and Burnley win at the Gunners home venue for the first time in the Premier League era.

When asked about what he will say to Xhaka following the Swiss midfielder's red card, Arteta insisted the club's ex-captain would assume responsibility and suggested the incident was a result of over-exuberance.

"Same words [as when Pepe was sent off before]. In these conditions even worse," Arteta said to Sky Sports.  

"I think it is related into how much will and energy they put into the games but it is not an excuse. I am sure he will [say it is his fault]."

Arsenal are now languishing in 15th position on the Premier League, a whopping 12 points behind leaders and bitter rivals Tottenham after 12 matches.

Their next match is against Southampton at the Emirates on Wednesday, with Arteta begging his team to get on the scoresheet, having scored only two goals in their last eight league games.

"You go on Wednesday against Southampton at home and try to win the game'" Arteta said. "We have to score a goal, we have to put the ball in the net.

"We were on top from the beginning to the moment of the sending off. We are not winning football matches and I am here to provide wins. Everyday work on it."

What a difference a week can make!

Before their La Liga showdown against Sevilla, Real Madrid appeared to be in the midst of a crisis, having won just one of their previous five fixtures in all competitions.

It wasn’t pretty, but they eventually took all three points against Sevilla—thanks to Yassine Bounou’s own goal—and then proceeded to overcome Borussia Monchangladbach in the biggest match of their season.

Failure to progress to the Champions League knockout stages would have been unthinkable for Zinedine Zidane’s side—not least considering their immense pedigree in the competition—yet they ultimately progressed in style.

They had reason to be fearful heading into an away tie against the German side, with their vulnerabilities—not least in the pair of defeats against Shakhtar Donetsk—being laid bare in the UCL already this season.

Ultimately, Real breezed into the knockouts, with Karim Benzema netting a first-half double to silence Gladbach—who ultimately join them in the Round of 16.

As if that wasn’t enough to confirm a positive week, Real then squared off against their city rivals Atletico in La Liga action on Saturday.

Again they benefited from a goalkeeper error—Jan Oblak putting the ball into his own net in the 63rd minute after failing to deal with a powerful Dani Carvajal effort—but the tone was set with Casemiro’s first-half opener, and Real ultimately ran out 2-0 winners yet again.

It drew the line under an exceptional week, as Real ultimately topped their UCL group and moved to within three points of their city rivals with the defeat over erstwhile league leaders Atletico.

Real Sociedad’s draw at home against Eibar on Sunday afternoon takes them back to top spot in the table, but they are beginning to lose steam after a magnificent start to the campaign—with three draws in their last three games—and Real could move level on points with The Royal if they defeat their Basque rivals Athletic on Tuesday evening.

It’s yet another tough assignment; Bilbao are notoriously tricky customers, and managed to hold Valencia to a 2-2 draw away from home on Saturday as they moved up to 14 points after 12 games.

It’s not been an excellent start to the season, but Athletic have quality in the likes of Inaki Williams, Alex Berenguer and Ander Capa, and can provide tough resistance for Los Blancos .

There have been defensive failings though, with Unai Simon responsible on Saturday to allow a 2-1 lead to slip away from them as Manu Vallejo scored the equaliser.

Zidane will be particularly delighted with the return to fitness of Sergio Ramos—he was again solid in the heart of the defence alongside Raphael Varane against Atletico—while Toni Kroos was arguably Real’s star man, thriving in the heart of the park alongside goalscorer Casemiro.

Athletic’s recent record against Real hasn’t been great; their 1-0 victory at San Mames in the 2014-15 season was the only triumph they’ve enjoyed against the domestic heavyweights in the last 10 years, with Los Merengues winning 14 of the last 20 meetings between the pair.

There have been four draws in the last six matches between them, however, which may give the Basques some hope that they can at least end Real’s three-game winning streak.

Last term, they proved their resilience by holding Real 0-0 at the Estadio Alfredo di Stefano, and would love a repeat on Tuesday.

Bilbao can also take encouragement from Real’s injury list; Ramos and Carvajal are back, but Zidane is still without forwards Eden Hazard, Martin Odegaard, Luka Jovic and Mariano.

Will Los Blancos be fatigued following their exertions over the previous week, or can Zizou rotate his offensive options to ensure everyone remains fresh?

Athletic have no such fitness concerns—Peru Nolaskoain is back in contention—although they’ll have to find a way to negate the threat of Benzema, who was so lethal against Gladbach in Real’s last midweek assignment.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola will continue to ease Sergio Aguero back into first-team contention despite missing his star striker in a dour Manchester derby draw with United at the weekend. 

The Argentine returned to Guardiola's team midweek off the bench against Marseille after a prolonged spell out due to injury. 

But the manager was unable to call on Aguero's services against United after he suffered a bout on gastroenteritis. 

City struggled in front of goal in his absence, mustering just two shots on target as Saturday's clash at Old Trafford ended in a 0-0 stalemate. 

But Pep used the example of Nathan Ake to show why Aguero would not be rushed back before he is 100 per cent ready.

"With Sergio it is one step at a time," he explained to reporters. "He made one training session, he was four months out and there are players who, for them, not to be in the squad would not be fair to them.

"That is why sometimes I have to handle the balance of the team. For me it is so tough, to drop Nathan Ake after he was exceptional against Marseille.

"He could not be selected today because there is this rule that there cannot be 19 or 20 players when all the players are available for the squad, some are at home.

"Hopefully Sergio will be back, make more training sessions and as many minutes as possible to come back as soon as possible."

Another player looking to win his way back into Pep's first-team plans is Aymeric Laporte, but he may have to wait his turn after John Stones and Ruben Dias consolidated themselves in the middle of defence during the centre-back's injury absence.

"He deserves to be in the team but John Stones and Ruben also deserve to be in the team," Guardiola said of Laporte.

"They played incredibly well in the last games and didn't make one single mistake.

"Aymeric played so well against Marseille and that is the point - team selection. Nathan Ake played extraordinarily well against Marseille but I have to make a selection. They didn't make mistakes.

"What they have to do is work harder, better and the moment will come, and when the moment comes have a good performance.

"Every player in every squad has incredible skills, like United, Spurs and Liverpool. But it is about how you perform right now. Right now. John and Ruben performed brilliantly, so they play."

City are back in action on Tuesday, when they host West Bromwich Albion at the Etihad Stadium. 

Pep's charges currently sit in ninth place in the Premier League, six points behind joint leaders Tottenham and Liverpool having played one game fewer.

Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney says the team deserved to be booed by their own supporters after crashing to a fourth consecutive Premier League defeat at the Emirates Stadium in a 1-0 loss against Burnley on Sunday.

In the first match Gunners fans could attend at their home venue since March following the Covid-19 pandemic, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's 73rd minute own goal condemned their home side to defeat - with the red card earned by former skipper Granit Xhaka making their task harder 15 minutes earlier.

Audible noises of discontent could be heard from the Arsenal fans following the final whistle, with the result leaving them in 15th position on the Premier League with only four wins from 12 matches.

"[The boos] was deserved," Tierney told Sky Sports after the match.

"They are coming out here and supporting us."

Arsenal dominated for much of the match until Xhaka was shown his marching orders for grabbing at the throat of Ashley Westwood, but failed to make the most of their possession and chances in front of goal.

Tierney refused to blame Xhaka's red card for costing Arsenal the game, but admitted their quest for three points became much harder after the Swiss midfielder's brain fade.

He also pointedly said the club was still behind under-fire coach Mikel Arteta and called on the team to lift in coming matches.

"It is hard to say the red card cost us the game. It was always going to be a lot tougher," Tierney said.

"We are not showing the manager what we can do and how much we believe in him.

"Every game there are signs we are doing a bit better but it is still not good enough. At half time we need to be going in in the lead but we are not doing that.

"Hard work is the only thing [that can fix this], nothing else for it. There are no excuses. There is nothing I can say that will make people believe a positive thing is going to come out of this.

"We are lucky we have a great manager. We just need to show better on the pitch."

Arsenal's next match comes against Southampton at the Emirates on Wednesday.

Ronald Koeman felt his Barcelona side showed fighting spirit to get their Liga campaign back on track with a 1-0 victory against Levante.

Barca looked set for another sapping result in a dreadful week, after a 3-0 Champions League loss at home to Juventus followed a 2-1 Liga setback against Cadiz.

But a familiar hero stepped forward on Sunday, with Lionel Messi dispatching Frenkie De Jong's throughball 14 minutes from time.

Messi has been involved in 37 goals in his La Liga career against Levante (22 goals and 15 assists), more than against any other team in the competition.

The six-time Ballon d'Or winner has scored 449 goals in La Liga and he is just one shy of becoming the first player to reach 450 with just one club in the top five European leagues.

"It's true it was a very complicated game today. We created a lot of chances and we did improve as the game went on," Koeman told LaLiga TV after Barca cut the gap between themselves, and Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid at the summit to nine points.

"We were better in the second half because we pushed higher up the pitch and won a lot of balls back. We still created as well.

"But we still struggled to take the lead. I think it's a deserved victory and very hard-earned victory as well."

Levante gave a shaky Barcelona defence plenty to think about during the first half, with Jorge de Frutos and Dani Gomez each spurning good chances,

"We weren't expecting a game where they pressed us as much as they did but we knew that could happen, especially with so many balls being played around the midfield area," Koeman said.

"There were moments where we played well but we do have to admit that they had two very clear chances in the first half.

"During the game we did change our formation and pushed a little bit higher and I think we were better in the second 45."

The former Netherlands coach has been criticised by some sections of the Barcelona fanbase and media for the perceived conservatism of his 4-2-3-1 setup.

Throwing on an extra centre-back in Samuel Umtiti in place of Antoine Griezmann for the closing minutes invited further mirth from his detractors but Koeman felt the ends justified the means.

"If there's little bit left in the game and the opponent is throwing players forward, it's better to shore up the defence, particularly from set plays," he added, with a crunch midweek clash versus Sociedad at Camp Nou next on the agenda.

"It was very important for us to win. We had to win and hopefully this helps us with our confidence."

Moussa Marega found the net as FC Porto silenced Tondela 2-1 in Sunday’s Portuguese Cup encounter.

First-half strike by the Malian and Mehdi Taremi were all Sergio Conceicao’s men needed to qualify for the tournament’s Round of 16.

Unbeaten in their last eight matches across all competitions, Porto came into the clash on the back of their 2-0 away victory over Olympiacos in the Champions League, while Tondela were aiming to end their losing streak following defeats in their last two outings.

The Gold and Greens recorded the first shot on target at the Estadio do Dragao, however, it was the hosts who took the lead in the fourth minute through Taremi.

Standing in the penalty area, the Iran international received a low pass from Tecatito Corona before firing past a helpless goalkeeper Pedro Trigueira.

In the 20th minute, however, the visitors levelled matter through Joao Mendes before Marega restored the lead for Conceicao’s team four minutes later after combining well with Brazilian midfielder Otavio.

Thanks to that strike, the 29-year-old African has now overtaken Radamel Falcao on Porto’s all-time topscorer’s list with 41 goals.

Three minutes into the second-half, Nigeria international Sanusi Zaidu sent a low cross to a goal-bound Marega, but his shot was saved by Trigueira.

With no goals scored for the remaining minutes of the tie, Tondela were sent packing from the tournament.

DR Congo Chancel Mbemba was in action from start to finish for Porto, while Super Eagles’ Zaidu was replaced by Luis Diaz in the 52nd minute. Marega came off for Martinez Toni with nine minutes left to play. Whereas, Senegal duo of Mamadou Loum and Mouhamed Mbaye plus Guinea Bissau's Nanu were not listed for action.

For the visiting side, Algeria’s duo of Naoufel Khacef and Abdel Medioub, Mauritania’s Souleymane Anne and Guinea Bissau’s Joao Jaquite played a role, but Cape Verde’s Telmo Arcanjo and Senegal’s Babacar Niasse were not dressed for action.

Next up for the Dragons is Wednesday's Portuguese League Cup encounter versus Pacos de Ferreira. Four days later, they lock horns with Nacional in a Primeira Liga clash. On the log, the 29-time Portuguese kings are third in the log having garnered 19 points from nine encounters.